At 7:45 a.m., the earthquake came as expected, sweeping through a remote city.
But the Emergency Management Bureau had prepared so thoroughly that there were almost no casualties.
The few casualties occurred after the disaster, when a handful of people, distraught over their property losses, clashed with others.
Overall, though, it was the best outcome Yu Mo Shuo had hoped for.
The alien responsible was dead, and Torch Dragon still lay undisturbed beneath Zhong Mountain.
"Why was there nothing left but the body? Did you take everything else beforehand?" Yu Mo Shuo could not help asking as they dealt with the aftermath.
Huang Ji did not deny it. Instead, he said, "You want to discuss the spoils with me?"
Yu Mo Shuo started to speak, then stopped. At last, he gave a rueful smile. "Could you at least tell me what they were?"
He could barely bring himself to ask Huang Ji for a share.
After all, Huang Ji had stood firm under pressure when no one believed he could win, then won a battle that had seemed nearly impossible.
He had almost single-handedly changed humanity's fate. Yu Mo Shuo had done little besides cheer him on. He had even realized how foolish it had been to deploy a missile base nearby without telling anyone. He had practically made things worse.
Under his original plan, they would have paid an enormous price to negotiate with the Disruptor. In truth, they would not even have had the chance.
Now the Disruptor was dead. They had not only averted a world-changing disaster but also kept Torch Dragon on Earth.
There could be no better outcome. The peace they had won was itself the greatest spoil they could have received.
Whatever the Nature Disruptor had left behind, Yu Mo Shuo had no claim